A new strain of the novel coronavirus called 'D614G' has been detected in Malaysia and is being deemed 10 times more infectious, said Malaysia's Director-General of Health, Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a Facebook post on Saturday.
A new strain of the novel coronavirus called 'D614G' has been detected in Malaysia and is being deemed 10 times more infectious, said Malaysia's Director-General of Health, Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a Facebook post on Saturday.
The mutation 'D614G' was first found in at least three of the 45 COVID-19 cases in a cluster that started after a restaurant owner breached his 14-day home quarantine upon returning from India. The person has been fined and sentenced to 5 months in prison. The strain was also found in another cluster which involved people returning from the Philippines.
Abdullah said that the strain could mean that existing studies on vaccines may be incomplete or ineffective against the mutation.
"So far these two clusters are controlled due to the fast-paced public health control actions on the field. This test is an early test. There are several follow-up tests in progress for many other cases. These include index cases for both these clusters," Abdullah said.
The Director-General in the Facebook post said that people need to be more aware and careful in the country. The mutation infects other individuals 10 times more and spreads more easily by an individual 'super spreader.'
The mutation has become the predominant variant in Europe and the US. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), there’s no evidence that suggests that the strain leads to more severe disease. As per a paper published in 'Cell Press', the mutation is unlikely to have a major impact on the efficacy of vaccines that are currently being developed.
Malaysia has reported 9,212 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 8,876 patient recoveries. As many as 125 people have died in the country due to the infectious disease.
Meanwhile, the overall number of global coronavirus cases has topped 21.6 million, while the deaths have increased to over 774,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.
As of Sunday morning, the total number of cases stood at 21,377,367 and the fatalities rose to 769,652, the University`s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Coronavirus")
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}